


Hospital bed

by Lady_Eris



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I'm Bad At Summaries, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, a mix of book and movie canons, eddie survived the final battle like he should have
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 12:54:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20489216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Eris/pseuds/Lady_Eris
Summary: He'd watched Eddie die, he'd held him in his arms as he said his last words. At least that was what he thought until he got the call from Beverly telling him they'd found a man outside neibolt house clinging to the last bit of life he had.





	Hospital bed

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first fic I've posted in a very long time and the first in this fandom ever. I hope you enjoy this and be kind or give me constructive critizism.
> 
> what do you mean this isn't exactly what happened?

It didn’t seem real. It couldn’t be real. Standing here looking at the man in the hospital bed, it especially didn’t seem real. He’d been there when Eddie died. He’d held him as he died. That was a very vivid memory in Richie’s mind. He couldn’t forget something like that, he couldn’t make up something like that. He’d been there when they dragged him away, insisting that Eddie was gone. Now they expected him to believe he was back. That the figure in the bed that looked so much like Eddie was actually him. 

He’d felt Beverly’s hand on his shoulder, she’d been the one to call him after Mike heard that they’d found a man half dead in the Nieobolt. He’d been packing when she did. He’d been ready to get out of this place and go back to living his life in California. As soon as he got out of here it would be just like before. He wouldn’t remember any of this, it would be some fuzzy memory like it had been before. Richie wouldn’t remember anything about this place or that he’d had to watch the love of his life die. It would be back to that haze and blissful ignorance that he’d been used to before. 

Richie was doing a good job of dodging the other losers as he got ready to leave. He’d said bye before anyone else, he’d waved off their worries and thrown jokes at them like he was perfectly normal. They could still see through him. Straight through all the bullshit to the fact that he was still screaming inside replaying that moment over and over again. When Beverly called he’d ignored the first one, she was always the best at getting to the root of the problem and he was always good at running from problems. Especially this one. The second call he answered. 

Before he’d been able to get a word out she was already talking, “You need to come to the hospital. They found him, he’s not dead.” Anger was the first emotion that hit him, the idea that she’d joke about this after seeing it happen. Especially since she’d known since they were teenagers that he was practically in love with Eddie. She of all people should have more sympathy for him. Richie saw red and couldn’t do anything but yell until he heard Ben’s calm voice in the background just asking him to come. 

And that’s how he got here. In the middle of a hospital room with Beverly next to him and the other losers outside in the waiting room. He’d been in a daze when he walked in, saw Bill talking to one of the doctors and the others waiting for him. Bev had been the one who lead him into the room, talking to him as if he could actually understand anything she was saying. The only thing that stuck was that Eddie was alive. He’d woken up a few times. The first was bad according to the doctors, it was only for a few minutes but it was long enough for him to realize what had happened to him. 

Something saved him when Richie was so sure he’d been dead. Everyone had been sure he was gone, there wasn’t anyway anyone could have survived that. Stranger things had happened in Derry than a seemingly dead man not actually being dead but it hadn’t ever shook him this much. Not even Pennywise had scared him as much as walking into this hospital room had. Fear of being wrong, of it not actually being Eddie and the fear of Richie getting to have him again for a few minutes before he was taken away again. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that again. In Fact he knew he couldn’t. 

Part of him wanted to wait with the others to avoid the chance of watching Eddie die again but his feet were moving on their own. Walking ahead of Beverly like he knew where he was going instead of letting her lead him where he needed to be. Hell he’d almost complained when she stopped in front of a room before he realized this was the room. She’d told him that he didn’t look good, she’d warned him about that but it didn’t actually prepare him for the sight of Eddie laying in the bed pale, broken and his arm. God he’d almost forgotten about his arm. 

Richie fell into the seat next to the bed, everything in his body was begging to reach out and touch him. To run his fingers over his face, revel in the moment of him being alive. It didn’t happen though for once his body and his mouth were still. He didn’t move he just stared. Afraid that if he did touch him that he’d vanish and it would just be another nightmare conjured up by this mistake of a town. 

“Do you want me to stay?” Beverly’s voice was soft, soft enough for him to almost say yes. The shake of his head was all he could give her but she didn’t mind. He felt her lips on the top of his head before he heard her leave the room and the door close behind her. 

It was just the two of them now. If the others had seen him yet he didn’t know, they probably had. Even if they hadn’t though none of them missed his reaction. It made sense that they’d let him see him alone. None of them had any reasons to act like they didn’t know exactly what Eddie had been to him now. Stan and Beverly had known before. Maybe they all did and were just too nice to say anything or got a kick out of watching him struggle to hide it as a teenager. 

Eddie hadn’t known though. That much Richie was certain of. In the end, yeah he did, Eddie was the one who spoke first. Whispered words that didn’t need to be finished to understand. Both of them had been stupid kids who shoved everything deep down inside and made themselves forget about it until the very end. He’d thought maybe if they both survived they could end up like Ben and Beverly who hadn’t let go of each other since they defeated it. But he’d watched Eddie die. Or he thought he had.

Slowly he raised his hand, hesitating before he let his fingers ghost over Eddie’s. If he would allow himself to be a more positive man maybe he’d let himself imagine that they could be that now. When Eddie woke up they’d finish’s those words and finally let themselves have what they’d been fighting for years. Positivity wasn’t a luxury he had right now. Not after what he’d already seen. 

Instead he sat there. His hand never leaving Eddie’s, cold and almost lifeless but he could feel his pulse when he accidentally squeezed too hard. A safety mechanism his brain had, when this felt too fake he’d squeeze and make sure he didn’t just disappear in his hands. It would break him if he lost him again. That much was clear, even if he’d told himself not to get his hopes up he was already too far. The second he’d seen him in the bed he was too far gone again. Richie wasn’t sure what he’d do if Eddie didn’t make it now other than completely fall apart. Break in the worst way possible. A man could only lose the love of his life so many times.

For the millionth time today he felt tears burn the back of his eyes. Letting his head fall onto his arm he squeezed Eddie’s hand again, pressing his lips against the back of his hand. “Just wake up. Just fucking wake up Eds. Please.” Richie was begging now. Begging whatever higher being might be listening. He’d ask every single one of them if he thought it would help. If anything would wake him up he’d do it, he wasn’t above anything right now. All he cared about was the man in front of him.

It had been some time, he wasn’t sure how long, he wasn’t counting. He knew Mike and Bill had both come in for a few minutes. Checked on him, updated him on what the doctors said but they didn’t stay very long. Richie hadn’t let go of Eddie’s hand and didn’t have much to say, he tried to joke when Bill first walked in but stopped the attempt when it was clear Bill wasn’t believing it. He wasn’t sure if they’d left to give him time alone with him or if they just couldn’t stand seeing him like this. Richie couldn’t blame them for either. He’d thank them for the first. 

Sleep was threatening him when Eddie’s fingers twitched. Richie thought it was his imagination, the part of his brain that was desperate for him to wake up. It happened again. This time it was more than just his fingers, his hand was moving, the muscles in his arm twitched. Sitting up he watched his face slowly come to life. The twitching of his face, the fluttering of his eyes as they opened, squinting as he got used to the bright hospital lights. He didn’t seem to realize Richie was there despite him still holding onto his hand. 

Wide eyes were trained on Eddie as he adjusted his body slightly, moving as if to make sure he was actually there and alive. Maybe it had been as much of a shock for him as it had been everyone else. It wasn’t until he tried to move his arm that he turned to face him. “Richie?” His voice was rough but Richie couldn’t remember ever being this happy.

His hands were on his face before he registered what he was doing, running his fingers over his face and through his hair. His too much gene kicking in, he wasn’t content in seeing him awake he had to make sure. “Holy shit.” He breathed. “I saw… I saw you die.” But he hadn’t this was proof.

Pain was clear on his face but so was his smile. Eddie was probably wanting to relax but he humored him, let him hold onto his face. “Not dead. Not yet at least.” His other shoulder jerked in a clear attempt to move the arm that wasn’t there any longer. He stopped moving then, his eyes shifting from Richie to where his arm was supposed to be. “Not all here either.” 

“But alive.” Eddie was still Eddie. No matter how many arms he had or didn’t have. What mattered was that he was there and he was alive. “You’re fucking alive. You’re here.” He felt both sick and happy at once. It didn’t make sense but that was the last thing on his mind. “Eds I…” 

He was cut off by the squeezing of his hand, “I know.” It was Eddie this time who slowly pulled his hand forward, kissing the back of his hand. More could be said later. Those words could be said later. Right now this was enough. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> But I really hope this is enjoyed and maybe if it is i'll do some snippets of their lives in the future. 
> 
> find me @tozierkasbrak on tumblr


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